Improved leather-splitting machine



UNITED STATES Pur-agire@- IMPROVED LEATHER-SPLITTING MACHIN E.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,448, dated Februaryl2, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that l, J. A. SAFFORD, of Boston, in the county of Su'olk andCommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Splitting Leather, of which the followingis a clear and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and letters of reference, in which- Figure 1represents a front elevation of a machine with my improvements; Fig. 2,a vertical transverse sect-ion of the same, taken through the line a' xof Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section of the upper and lowerrolls, the knife, and the table, taken through the line y y of Fig. 1.

Letters Patent of the United States dated March 19, 1861, and numbered742, were duly issued to me for an improved machine for splittingleather, and in the specification thereto annexed the construction an doperation of said machine is described in detail.

The nature of my present invention consists in certain improvements uponsome portions of the mechanism employed in my former invention-viz., infa new and improved spring to be used in connection with the lower orfeed' roll, in place of the spiral spring in my former specicationdescribed, of more equal tensity and positive action, and also in amodification of the form of the knife, by which modification the chokingof the machine below the knife and after the leather is cut is renderedmuch less probable.

The spiral spring described in my former specification, which is commonto many machines constructed for similar purposes, I have found, by useand experiment, is not positive or reliable in its operation, as the twosprings used at either end of the roller are liable to be of unequaltensity, so that the two ends may not be depressed alike; and,furthermore, the tensity ot' such springs is more or less affected byuse, and that, too, in an unequal degree. The use of springs composed inwhole or in part of rubber or guttapercha has hitherto been liable tothis obj ection, that the dropping ofthe oil necessary to thelubricating of such machines upon the rubber destroys or seriouslya'ects its elasticity, so that it soon becomes useless. To obviate theseobjections I construct my new and improved springs as follows: I bore achamber into a solid block of iron of the proper size and shape, (or thesame may be cast in proper form with the chamber,) which chamber I lillwith alternate layers of rubber or similar material, and thin iron ormetal plates, until the same is filled, when the open end of the chamberis closed by a cap secured by a set-screw, the solid end of the chamberbeing placed uppermost, lso that the elasticity of the material cannotin any way be affected by outside influences, such layers being cut ofsuch form and size with reference to the chamber that they may have roomforexpansion to give the required elasticity.

My present invention comprises also a knife of improvedform. The knifedescribed in the specification above alluded to, and common to mostsplitting machines,was one the cuttingedge of which was formed by astraight bevel alike on both sides. In this way the straight surface ofthe bevel, placed above the convex surface of the feed-roll, left butasmall space between the surface of the roller and that of the knife, inconsequence of which the machine was easily clogged or choked.

My present invention consists in forming the knife with the upper bevelshorter than the lower, so that the cutting-edge is nearest to its uppersurface, while at the same time I make the bevel on the under sideconcave to correspond in part with the convex surface of the lower orfeed roller, so that the greatest possible space is thus affordedbetween the lower surface of the knife and the feed or lower roll, andthe diiculties arising fromvthe choking ofthe machine much decreased.

Having now described the nature of my invention, I will proceed todescribe its construction and operation, to enable others skilled insuch matters to make and construct the same, describing particularlyonly such parts as are embraced in my present invention, other parts ofsuch machine being common to many leathersplitting machines, and thewhole being described in the Letters Patent above referred to, No. 742.

In the accompanying drawiu gs, Xrepresen ts the frame of the machine,consisting of two standards connected together by cross-bars and by thetable D. In these standards are slots or guideways, in which move thebearings of the upper and lower rollers, A and B. A is the. upper orgage roll, suitably mounted in bearings, and moved up and down asrequired by means of the crossshaft E andthe double beveled gearconnected with it in the same manner as described in the aforesaidLetters Patent numbered 742. Bis the lower or feed roll, which is flutedto prevent the leather slipping, and by means of which the leather isfed up against the knife a to be split. This roller is suitably mountedin bearings moving in the slots above described, which bearings restupon the springs c c, said springs being constructed as above described,which springs are connected with the treadle D by the connecting-rods EE. This lower roll, B, is kept in position from above by the gibs d d,regulated by the screws e e, as seen in Fig. 2.

Through the bottom of each slot or guidway passes a screw-bolt, b b,which takes into the lower layer or cap of the spring C, as seen in Fig.2. By means of this screwbolt the relative position of the lower or feedroll with the knife is regulated, and also the tensity of the spring.The spring C is seenin section in Fig. 2. 1t consists of alternatelayersof rubber and nieal, b representing` the rubber, and c the metal platesincluded in a close box or chamber, as above described. u is the knife,properly secured to the rear side of the table in a manner common tomany leather-splitting machines, my present invention, so far as relatesto the knife, relating only to the shape and proportion of the upper andlower bevel, by

which the cutting-edge is. formed, as above described.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The gageroll is adjusted tothe required distance b v turning the shaft E. The leather is theninserted between the gage and feed-rollers, and so fed up against theknife. The feedroll, thus resting upon springs of equal and certaintensity, presses firmly against the un- "der surface of the leather, andat the same time yields to the inequalities of the leather, and soprevents the breaking or the choking of the machine.

Whenever it is desirable, the feed-roll can be still further depressedat the will of the operator bythe use of the treadle.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

l. The spring C, constructed and operating substantially as set forth.

2. The spring G, in combination with the lower or feed roll, B, thewhole constructed and operated as described, and for the purposes asherein set forth.

3. The knife as constructed as herein described, in combination with thelower or feed roll, B, for the purposes herein set forth.

J. A.l SAFFORD.

Witnesses.

0. C. .HoUcrrToN, S. EDWIN IREsoN.

